County cricket season to finish in October – and there could be fans attending the T20 Blast Finals Day

It has also been confirmed the five-day final of the Bob Willis Trophy will take place at Lord's from September 23.

The ECB published the fixtures for this year's T20 tournament today along with the details for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

The Southern Vipers - who will play home games at The Ageas Bowl and Hove - are one of eight teams split into two groups who will contest the inaugural Trophy.

Blast quarter-final matches will be played on October 1 with all of the white-ball knockout games, including the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final and Blast Finals Day, assigned reserve days.

The last-eight ties and Finals Day have been scheduled for October - the first time domestic county cricket will ever have been played so late in the year - to allow for the possibility of crowds.

Last month Prime Minister Boris Johnson called off plans to let fans attend pilot sports events, with any such proposals pushed back until October 1.

The ECB will continue to work closely with the government and follow their advice as to what a safe return of crowds might look like, but there is a hope the domestic season could culminate with some supporters in attendance.

Blast holders Essex will start the action on August 27 with a home fixture against Middlesex while Yorkshire's clash at Headingley with Nottinghamshire later on the same day will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Hampshire’s home south coast derby with Sussex will also be shown live on Sky on September 10.

Like in the Bob Willis Trophy, the Blast has been regionalised into three groups - South, Central and North - with each county set to play 10 group-stage matches behind closed doors.

The Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, which have hosted England's internationals this summer, will be used by Hampshire and Lancashire respectively.

Middlesex will return to Lord's for the Vitality Blast after hosting Bob Willis Trophy fixtures at Radlett, including the one against Hampshire which finished yesterday.

Hampshire have reached Finals Day seven times - the joint-highest total among the 18 counties.

They were the 15th county to reach it in 2010 - seven years after the competition started - and that began a run of six successive Finals Day appearances.

The county’s last visit was in 2017. Somerset and Lancashire are the other counties to have reached Finals Day seven times.

The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy will start on August 29 with the eight teams involved to face each other twice over the August Bank Holiday weekend and the final to occur on September 26 at a venue to be confirmed.

Created for this summer only, the special-edition competition was produced to ensure women's domestic cricket is played despite the challenges of Covid-19.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: ‘After a challenging few months it's really exciting that we can look forward to three domestic finals at the end of the summer.

‘It promises to be a thrilling climax to the season, and something members, fans and everyone involved in the game can look forward to.

‘The prestige of a Lord's final for the Bob Willis Trophy will provide an even greater incentive for the first-class counties.

‘Finals Day at Edgbaston will also ensure the men's county cricket finishes the season on a high.

‘I'm also proud that we will stage the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in honour of a true great of our game both on and off the field.

‘Rachael's determination to give women's cricket the platform it deserves is a legacy that must endure through these difficult times as we continue the journey to professionalise the women's game.

‘This summer's tournament will be another important step on that path.

‘The fact we've been able to get so much domestic cricket played this summer owes to the collaborative efforts of the county network and their willingness to find a way to get the game on in the safest way possible for all involved.

‘There will be many more challenges ahead, but the unity and spirit shown during this summer has been a tribute to the county network as we work together to grow our sport.’

Hampshire’s Blast fixtures

August

27: Kent (Canterbury, 2pm)

30: Sussex (Hove, 2pm)

September

1: Essex (Chelmsford, 2pm)

3: Surrey (Oval, 6.30pm)

10: Sussex (Ageas Bowl, 6.35pm)

12: Middlesex (Lord’s, 2pm)

14: Kent (Ageas Bowl, 2pm)

16: Essex (Ageas Bowl, 2pm)

18: Surrey (Ageas Bowl, 2pm)

20: Middlesex (Ageas Bowl, 1pm)

Vipers fixtures

August

29: Sunrisers (Chelmsford, 10.30am)

31: Western Storm (Bristol, 10.30am)

September

5: SE Stars (Hove, 10.30am)

11: Sunrisers (Ageas Bowl, 10.30am)

13: Western Storm (Ageas Bowl, 10.30am)

19: SE Stars (Oval, 10.30am)